She Left On a Monday
by Hikaru a
Summary: AU. Misao returns home after many years to find things really haven't changed.
1. Chapter I

She Left On A Monday  
By Hikaru

Ship(s): Aoshi x Misao, Kaoru x Kenshin, Hiko x his ego

Summary: AU. Misao returns home after many years to find things really haven't changed.

30kisses challenge #s: 7 (superstar), 20 (the road home)

Chapter I

The scenery blurred past her as she gazed out the window to her left. The grays of buildings became indistinct as the car sped through the city streets of Tokyo, speckled with bright red and blue hues of neon signs, glowing in the rising sun. Nothing looked familiar to her, not even the small ramen shops. Everything had changed so much. The road home was now a stranger to her. Far be it for her to call Tokyo the only stranger, since she looked nothing like she had when she left. Her hair was cut short now, just barely touching her shoulders. She had highlighted her hair orange, to try and "blend in" with her past surroundings. She was also taller now. Older. No, she was sure she was just as much a stranger to Tokyo that it was to she. Quietly, she sighed, gently knocking her head against the glass window.

"How now, Misao?" Okina glanced over to his granddaughter, a smile on his face. He clicked off the radio, letting the car become silent. "You're supposed to be excited about coming home after being gone so long!"

Misao closed her eyes. "I'm just tired, Jiya," she remarked, looking over to the old man. "The flight from America _is_ pretty long, you know." She let out another sigh and returned to leaning her forehead against the cold glass window.

With a loud guffaw, Okina made a right turn. "That's what you get for not visiting for five years, my pretty. Off running around America, making movies, doing interviews, _dating men_," he narrowed his eyes mischievously. "That's my Misao, the superstar. How many boy toys do you have now? Four? Five?"

"Please, Jiya, you're almost bad as those reporters," Misao pleaded, lightly banging her head against the glass a few times. "Like I told you, I left America for a reason. I want some time off from all of that- if not permanently."

"So that's why you called your poor Grandfather at four this morning to come pick you up from the airport," he teased, making another right.

Glaring at old man, she answered, "I called because I knew you would be the only person who would be up."

"Ah," he retorted, ever so cunningly. "But I know one other person who you could have called who would have come to pick you up."

She didn't have an answer for that. It was inevitable that the person Okina was talking about would find out that she was back in Tokyo, but for now, she really didn't want to think about _him_.

Okina looked over to her again, with an eyebrow raised. Misao had never told her grandfather about what exactly happened before she left Tokyo five years previous, but Okina had his suspicions. Misao's silence only supported his beliefs. Perhaps things would be different this time. Taking the last left onto his street, Okina said, "Everything will work out."

Suddenly, Misao knew where she was again. From the post in front of the Akebeko restaurant, to the garden in front of Seijirou-san's pottery shop, she knew all of it. These were her memories. Her youth. The frown that was on her face turned slowly into a small smile as they pulled into the apartment complex that Okina owned, called the Aoi-ya. The sun hit the building at just the right angle, making it seem ablaze in pink and orange. It was absolutely breathtaking. The perfect welcoming home.

After parking the car in the garage, Okina got Misao's things out of the trunk of his small Daihatsu as Misao swung her backpack across her right shoulder. He smiled at her renewed excitement. "Glad to be home?"

"I would be lying if I said no," she replied with a smile. But deep in her gut, she was worried. She followed her grandfather as he headed to the elevators, her shoulders feeling a little bit heavier than they used to. There was still a possibility of running into _him_ and really, that was the last thing she wanted to do. She assumed that he still lived in the apartment complex, as Okina would have told her if _he_ had moved. _Just make sure to watch my step,_ she told herself. _And not bump into _him.

The elevator chimed. Misao headed out of the elevator first. She knew where she was going, so she paid little mind to the form that was in front of her.

That was, until, she bumped into it.

Being knocked to the floor, Misao broke her fall using her arm. She cursed under her breath. "I'm sorry Jiya," she mumbled. "I must have forgot there was a wall there."

"Misao?" A deep voice, which was very much not her grandfather, asked in surprise.

Misao's face jerked upward to see that it wasn't a wall that she had bumped into, but the one she least wanted to see at that moment.

"S-Shinomori Aoshi," she muttered, eyes wide as she stared up at him. He was taller than she remembered, with broader shoulders. Of course, sitting on the floor wasn't going to help her height perception. But his eyes. Oh, they were the same haunting blue that sent shivers down her spine. Cursing herself mentally, Misao tried to gather the strength, and the sense to push herself up and stand tall. However, it seemed that her sense had went out for a coffee break along with the rest of her body. After telling herself to not bump into _him_, she literally BUMPED into him! There was no living this down.

He was wearing a pair of dark blue jeans, with a faded black t-shirt. Under his eyes there were dark circles, making him look exhausted. He had a notebook clutched in a his left hand, she noted.

"Good morning, Aoshi!" Okina beamed, walking off the elevator. "Pull another all nighter?"

Never breaking eye contact with Misao, who was still sitting on the floor, he answered, "Yes."

"You don't want to overwork yourself, my boy. Make sure you get some rest..." Okina warned, a smile still on his face.

Nodding, Aoshi finally tore his sight away from Misao. "I will be once I return from meeting with my editor," he replied, walking onto the open elevator.

"This early in the morning?" Okina asked. "Your poor editor. Not everyone keeps your hours, Aoshi."

"He asked me to come this early," Aoshi replied as the elevator doors began to shut. "See you later, Okina." After a pause, he added, "Misao."

"Have a nice day, Aoshi!" Okina called to the closed elevator doors. With a large grin, he turned to Misao and let out a laugh. "You really _do_ fall for the poor boy, don't you, Misao?"

Glaring, Misao finally managed to push herself off of the ground. "Shut up, Jiya," she grumbled, brushing herself off. After bumping into Aoshi she felt foolish being dressed in her baggy comfort clothes, with no make-up. It was her disguise so she could travel in the airport quietly, and it had worked. But now she regretted that she hadn't put at least a little make-up on. After five years, he sees her half-asleep and sloppily dressed. Always a great first impression. "So why does Aoshi have an editor? Before I left, he was still working at the Akebeko."

Okina stroked his beard. "Oh, I thought I had told you!"

"No, you didn't," Misao retorted, glaring. "That's why I'm asking you."

"Well," the old man let out a loud sigh, crossing his arms against his chest. "Soon after you left, Aoshi quit his job at the Akebeko. In fact, he just stopped coming out at all. People in the apartments started talking, spreading rumors about what happened. After two weeks I decided to take it upon myself to see how he was doing."

Misao rolled her eyes. "You mean that you went to go collect rent, because he was probably overdue."

The old man pretended to be wounded, holding his hand over his heart in shock. "Misao! How could you think that of your poor grandfather?"

"Because it's the truth," she sighed. "_Anyway..._" Misao crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow in an effort to encourage her grandfather to continue.

"Yes, well, when I came to visit him, he answered the door and looked absolutely normal." Misao scoffed. "Well, as normal as that boy can be," Okina corrected. "But he invited me in and told me about a book he began to write. Apparently, he already had offers based on the few chapters that he had already written."

Blinking, Misao asked, "So, he's an author now?"

"And a very popular one, at that. During the five years that you've been gone, he's had three best sellers." A bright smile came to Okina's face. "I'm so proud of the boy! I'm so glad that he got over whatever _you_ put him through."

Snorting, Misao turned away. "What _I_ put him through? I don't know _what_ Aoshi told you, but I didn't do _anything_ to him. If anything, it was him!"

"Typical woman," the old man sighed as he shook his head. "Doesn't take the blame for her actions. Of course you did something to him, Misao- you left! That boy loved you with all of his little heart, and you just left him. _Snap._ Like that."

"Look," Misao steamed. "I don't want to talk about this right now, okay? I just had an fourteen hour flight and I would _really_ just like to get some sleep, _all right_, Jiya?"

"As my little actress wishes," Okina bowed, mockingly, motioning to his apartment.

"I really wish you would stop calling me that."

* * *

It was raining the day that everything changed for Aoshi. Cold, bitter, the type of day that most people would wrap themselves up and stay at home. But not Aoshi. Rainy days were his favorite. Standing in the doorway of the Akebeko, he watched in awe as the rain pattered against the ground. Washing everything away, giving the city of Tokyo new life.

"Aoshi!" Tae called. She was the owner and operator of the Akebeko, and Aoshi's boss. "Get away from that door before you catch a cold!"

Turning slowly, he smiled at Tae, who had put her hands on her hips and had a forceful grimace on her face. "Rain does not give people colds, Tae," he reasoned. "If anything, it washes all of the sickness away. It is because people stay in wet clothing that they get sick."

Shaking her head, Tae sighed loudly. She turned to go back to her work, muttering under her breath about how foolish Aoshi was, and how he was going to regret it later when he got deadly ill.

The usual Sunday crowd was missing from the tables of the Akebeko. The rain, Aoshi mused, kept people indoors, safe in their houses. The only customer that had risked life and limb for a meal, was the evening regular, Hiko Seijirou, who lived a block away from the restaurant. Built to kill men, or at least to do construction, the man had decided to live his life as a potter. Of course, Tae, Omasu, and Okon had always gossiped about how Hiko had spent his younger years training in the mountains of Kyoto to become a master at some sort of swordsmanship, but left due to circumstances that never were really clear. Aoshi tried to shut them out, because he really didn't care about Hiko's background. He was Aoshi's least favorite patron. Aoshi was Hiko's favorite person to pick on. Their relationship was entertaining, to say the least.

"Hey _boy_! Get over here!" Hiko boomed, not caring that he was using his outside voice inside. "I'm ready to order."

Letting out a long breath, Aoshi walked over to Hiko's table, ready with pen and paper in hand. Of course, Aoshi already knew what Hiko was going to order. Katsudon with-

"- miso soup and a large warm sake," Hiko finished, not even having to glance at the menu.

Why he bothered even writing the order down, Aoshi had no idea. The order was already done by the time he walked to the kitchen. The cooks, Omasu and Okon, were admirers of Hiko, and knew exactly when he walked into the restaurant. They made it a game, which usually broke into a fight, on who could get the potter's order ready the fastest.

He picked up the tray that had Hiko's order on it, as well as two love letters from the two cooks, and walked back over to the table where Hiko was sitting. The potter had a large smile on his face, "Even faster than the last time!" Hiko laughed as Aoshi placed the order before him with another sigh. Hiko simply glared up at the younger man, "You are just jealous of my great looks and the effect my powerful mojo has on women."

Aoshi decided to ignore that. "If you require anything else, I will be over there." He walked back over to the open doorway and began to watch the storm again. When suddenly he saw two figures running to the door. He quickly moved out of the way when his landlord, Okina, rushed into the restaurant, holding onto the hand of a young girl that Aoshi was sure he had never seen before. He knew Okina liked younger women, but this girl looked to be only sixteen or so. But that wasn't his business, really, now was it?

"Welcome, Okina," Aoshi bowed slightly.

"Ah, Aoshi!" Okina smiled. The girl who was holding the old man's hand froze at the word 'Aoshi'. "I believe you remember my granddaughter, Misao?"

Thrown off guard, Aoshi stared wide-eyed at the young woman. "Misao?" Oh, he remembered the young little sprite all right. It had to have been at least three years since he had seen her last, and even then it had been in a brief passing as she visited during the holidays.

She had spent most of their childhood being his shadow, following him wherever he went. It had been really annoying, and in the back of his mind he remembered 'Misao' as a little girl that would throw a tantrum if she didn't get to play with her 'Aoshi-sama'. But the young woman before him was nothing remotely even close to the girl he held in his memory. Her raven hair was down to her hips, soaking wet from the rain, along with the rest of her. She wore a hooded pullover sweatshirt and a long, dark blue, denim skirt. And her eyes... her blue eyes. Why couldn't he recall that Misao had such beautiful eyes?

Okina laughed then, patting the young man on the back. "Oh come on! You used to play together all the time when you were yay high," he motioned only a foot off of the ground. "She's been in London for the past few years," he boasted, "Acting school. Nothing but the best for my little Misao! She just came back yesterday. All done with her training! I'm so proud!" He gave the small girl a wet kiss on her cheek.

"You're embarrassing me, Jiya," Misao muttered, trying to hide her face with her free hand. "It's... been a while, Aoshi."

"Yes. A long while, Misao."

* * *

"Aoshi, you seem distracted... Are you okay?"

Shaking himself out of his deep thought, Aoshi took in a deep breath. Slowly he grasped that he was no longer in the Akebeko, a job that he had quit years ago. He was in his editor's office in the heart of Shibuya. Frames hung on the wall, all with posters of the covers of the books Aoshi had written. He had helped his editor achieve a high status in the industry, and all because the editor was willing to take a chance on Aoshi's writing style.

Aoshi looked to his editor, and replied, "I am fine. I was just thinking about something I have not thought about... in a long time..." Under his breath, he muttered, "A very long time." Aoshi adjusted himself in his seat to face his editor head on. "Sorry, Himura."

Himura Kenshin was what one would consider a small man. He was only a little over five feet tall, but could have a commanding presence when he so chose to. His shaggy auburn hair was cut just to his chin, giving his effeminate looks a further boost. However, it never seemed to bother Kenshin, so Aoshi never mentioned it. The two had been friends since high school. Every year, as luck would have it, they would be placed in the same class. Aoshi would help Kenshin with his math, science, and history, while Kenshin had tutored him in having friends. Aoshi had never had a best friend before then. Fate once again brought the two men together, when Aoshi was on the market for an editor and agent for the book he began to write five years previous. It so happened that he stumbled upon Kenshin, who was struggling with his new firm. It would become a deal that would create an illustrious career for the both of them. From then on, Kenshin was Aoshi's editor, and he was the only person who Aoshi could really trust to been completely honest with him.

The smaller man leaned back in his chair, looking back at the chapter that Aoshi had brought. From what Aoshi could read from his editor's facial expressions, Kenshin did not look happy. "I'll be honest with you, Aoshi," Kenshin said, putting the script back on his desk before him. "This wasn't your strongest piece."

"You can only write so many trash romance novels before you start repeating the same scenarios," Aoshi replied, with an eyebrow raised. "You were the one that insisted I continue to work in this genre. I asked if I could write a mystery, you said no. I asked if I could write something historical, you said no."

Nodding, Kenshin stood up and walked over to his friend. "That's because you have a knack for heart wrenching stories, Aoshi. Your first book, _She Left On A Monday_, was so raw... so full of emotion. Readers couldn't get enough. Why can't you write something like that again?"

"I told you," Aoshi sighed. "I wrote that to work through a difficult period in my life. I was trying to get..." his voice broke off, not wanting to further reveal details that he had told no one, not even Kenshin.

Raising his eyebrow, Kenshin leaned in close to his friend and whispered, "So can't you make it happen again?" Sitting up, he cleared his throat and walked back over to his chair. "I have publishers fighting tooth and nail for your next book, Aoshi. I have meetings with two publishing houses next week. But I can't give them this," he held up the typed up chapter. "No one will want to buy this. Here," he tossed it back to Aoshi. "Rewrite it."

Aoshi nodded solemnly. "All right."

"Hey," Kenshin put his hand up. "Look, I'm telling this to you as a friend, Aoshi. I just want to see you stay successful."

"I know."

Smiling, Kenshin nodded. "Good. So why don't we have some breakfast?"

"I am not really hungry," Aoshi replied, getting up from his chair. "I have been up writing all night, so eating would not be the wisest thing to do. If the meeting is done, I would like to return home."

"I understand," the editor smiled again. Aoshi got up from his chair and shook hands with Kenshin. But before Aoshi exited the office, Kenshin called to him. "Oh, by the way, I heard that something about that Makimachi Misao actress that you are so fond of."

Aoshi paused, his right hand curved around the doorknob. "Oh really?"

Nodding, Kenshin continued, "Apparently she is missing. Karou-dono told me that it was reported on the news this morning. Something about how Makimachi disappeared yesterday, in the middle of filming her next movie in America."

Memories of what had happened not hours before, back at the Aoi-ya apartment complex, rushed through Aoshi's head. So she was on the lamb? Interesting. That did explain the early morning arrival and her "rough" exterior. "Really?" he said slowly, choosing his words carefully. "That is too bad. I was looking forward to seeing her next film..."

"Uh... huh..." Kenshin looked his friend over, knowing something was awry.

"I will call you once I've rewritten the chapter, Himura."

"Do that," Kenshin nodded, still very suspicious. Aoshi left the office without looking back. Sitting back down in his chair, Kenshin looked at the door for a few more seconds, thinking. Then he picked up the receiver to his telephone. "Megumi-dono, can you get me Kaoru-dono on the phone please? Thank you." After a few seconds, the call connected, "Hi Kaoru-dono, it's me. Can you do me a favor? I need some more information about this Makimachi Misao."

_To Be Continued..._

Notes:  
I do have to reiterate that I do not really like alternate universes. I've stayed as far from them as I possibly could for a very long time. However, since I chose Aoshi/Misao for my coupling in 30kisses, I've had to come to terms with my hate and bring forth this story to cover some of the more modern challenges.

Aoshi being a romance novelist is a nod to one of Tin's stories, which is now no longer available online, in which Aoshi was an author (if I remember correctly, he wrote romance novels in that too). Yes, every Aoshi/Misao story that comes from me has a nod to Tin. What can I say? I lurve her! The title comes from a Bic Runga song called, "She Left On A Monday" which personifies Aoshi and Misao's relationship so well, it's scary.

I just like mocking Aoshi's character by making him a romance novelist. It's just so... NOT him. Could you imagine Aoshi mulling over, "Hmmm... should he take her shirt off first and _then_ caress her breasts, or caress her breast and _then_ take off her shirt?"

This fiction was written for entertainment purposes only. The characters of Rurouni Kenshin belong to Watsuki-san. Standard disclaimers apply.


	2. Chapter II

She Left On A Monday  
By Hikaru

Ship(s): Aoshi x Misao, Kaoru x Kenshin, Hiko x his ego

Summary: AU. Misao returns home after many years to find things really haven't changed.

30kisses challenge #s: 28 (Wada Calcium CD3)

Chapter II

"'_The look on her face was that of a woman determined to break hearts. He noted how her eyes held so much contempt. They once held an undying love for him...'_" Misao flipped the book over and placed it in her lap. "What the hell is this crap?" she exclaimed, looking at her grandfather in shock. She didn't know what was worse, the fact that her grandfather _owned_ such a book, or the fact that the book had many dog-eared pages and looked very used. "You actually _read_ this?"

Okina swiped the book from his granddaughter's lap. "Ha! Jest not, my pretty! It's actually a very inciting piece of work."

"Jiya! It's obviously based on when I left!" Misao argued, taking back the book. "I should be getting similarity rights, or something," she grumbled quietly. She opened the book once more, and started to read again. "I just can't believe Aoshi would write such sap! He's not this passionate in real life."

A smile crept to the old man's face, "I believe that's why he's writing under a penname, my dear. After all, who would want to read a romance novel by a man?"

"Oh yes," Misao nodded mockingly as she motioned to the name on the cover, "Shinomori Aoko, very original."

"You are just bitter that the heartless-Misa is based off of you, " Okina retorted, playfully.

Misao would have said something in response, but as she opened her mouth, there was a knock at the door. Still laughing at his granddaughter, Okina walked over to the intercom, "Yes, who is it?"

"_Shinomori Aoshi_."

Misao jumped from the couch and ran to the kitchen, which was a blocked off area next to the front door to the apartment. The kitchen had it's own separate door, which Misao kept cracked open. "Tell him I'm not here," she said.

"He _knows_ you're here, Misao," Okina rolled his eyes. "Remember, you _bumped_ into him just a few hours ago." Sometimes his granddaughter had the most ridiculous tendencies.

Glaring, Misao spat, "Okay, tell him I'm asleep."

"You're going to be extremely disappointed when you find out he's not here about you," Okina muttered under a loud sigh.

"Because Aoshi visits you so often," Misao replied, rolling her eyes.

Okina shot Misao a dirty look before opening the door. With a big smile on his face, he said, "Why hello, Aoshi! What brings you here?"

Raising an eyebrow, Aoshi observed the old man. Okina was known for being loud and obnoxious, but he was acting stranger than usual. The old man was hiding something. However, Aoshi decided to ignore the feeling in his gut- for now. "Forgive my intrusion, Okina. I just wanted to inquire about Misao. Is she here?"

Putting forth a pout, Okina shook his head and replied, "No, I'm sorry Aoshi. She's asleep at the moment. You know, fourteen-hour flight and all. I'm sure she'll be up and about in a few hours. She asked me to make sure she didn't sleep the day away."

Misao, from in the kitchen, cleared her throat, telling the old man to drop the subject.

"Oh," she heard Aoshi say. Misao edged her ear closer to her grandfather, trying to hear the conversation better. Aoshi almost sounded disappointed that she was asleep. Could it be that he actually _wanted_ to see her? Not that she cared, no not at all. Shaking her head, she tried to shun away her deep down hopes that Aoshi wanted to talk to, and perhaps forgive, her.

"But-" the old man interjected, "I was going to take her to the Akebeko this evening. You should join us!"

"_What_?" Misao hissed, albeit a little too loudly. She clasp her hands over her mouth before she completely blew her cover.

Aoshi looked past Okina, into the apartment. "What was that?"

The old man laughed nervously. "It must have been the TV. I was watching some dramas that I recorded last night." More laughing. "So how about it, Aoshi? Say six this evening?"

A public place? Aoshi dwelled on what Kenshin had told him just before exiting his office. Makimachi Misao was a well-known actress, even in Japan. If she was supposed to be 'missing' would it really be a good idea for her to go outside in Tokyo?

"I really do not think-"

"Oh come on," Okina reasoned, putting his hand on Aoshi's shoulder. "It's time that this whole mess was patched up between you two. I simply won't take no for an answer."

Aoshi thought of warning Okina about Misao's situation. If Misao was going to get mobbed by fans, she should have some advance warning. But then he thought about how she must have had to deal with that on a daily basis. And perhaps they would be lucky enough and not be spotted.

Lowering his head in defeat, Aoshi nodded. "All right, Okina. I will meet you at the Akebeko at six this evening."

"Excellent!" The old man beamed. "Shall I tell Misao that you called?"

"No," Aoshi shook his head. "I suppose I will talk with her this evening."

Okina wiggled his eyebrows. "Oh, I see... Do I need to leave the two of you alone at dinner? So you can _talk_?" The word _talk_ had many more meanings then it's true definition when Okina said it in that way.

Aoshi frowned. "That will not be necessary."

"Well then, I shall see you at six."

"At six," Aoshi repeated.

Closing the door slowly, Okina nodded. "Bye, Aoshi!" he called, closing the door quietly.

No sooner was the door shut, that Misao was in her grandfather's face. Her hands were on her hips, and she was steaming mad. "_What did you just do?_" she hissed, trying to keep her voice down, in fear of Aoshi hearing her.

"What?" Okina questioned, walking back to the living room. "I simply invited a friend to come to dinner with us." In his voice, one would almost think that he was innocent of being mischievous. The look on his face told otherwise. "Is that so wrong?"

His granddaughter followed on his heels, stomping with every step she took. "Yes, it is _very_ wrong, and you know exactly why!"

"Come now," he said, sitting down on his black leather couch. He crossed his legs and turned on the TV. There actually were recorded dramas from the past evening that he needed to watch. "You and Aoshi were very close, even before you dated. I find it very hard that a simple dinner will be a painful experience."

Misao pinched the bridge of her nose. "Okay, fine. You win." She stalked over to her room.

"Where are you going?"

She turned, glaring at the old man. "I'm going to actually go to sleep now. All of this has made me _very_ tired."

She opened the door to her room, and sighed. Okina had kept it exactly how it was when she left it, which she appreciated. He had even cleaned and dusted for her. She had to admit, the old man was always very kind to her. But then she thought about the situation her grandfather had just pushed her in and revised her thoughts. He was _sometimes_ very kind to her.

Her room was a regular size for the apartment complex, but much smaller than what she had been used to in America. She had little furniture, save a bed and a dresser where she used to keep all of her clothes. On her walls were posters of various bands that she used to fawn over before she left. Misao walked over to one of the posters, an advertisement poster for Surface's first single "Saa", and sighed, fingering the edges of the slick paper.

Everything used to be really simple when she was younger.

Flopping down on the bed, which was placed in the middle of the room, she let out a long sigh. It was good to be away from her old life in America. In her old life, she wouldn't be able to have a quiet moment to herself. It was always photo shoots, or rehearsals, or memorizing scripts. There was never a moment when she could just lay down and relax.

Although she couldn't relax completely now, either.

Dinner was more than just running _into_ him in the hallway in passing. Dinner was sitting down and having to make conversation with the man that she had abandoned five years previous. Without making things more awkward than they already were. Yeah, that was possible.

"Best not to think about it now," Misao told herself, closing her eyes. Before she could help it, sleep took her away into the land of dreams.

* * *

After returning from London, Misao spent a lot of her time in the Akebeko. Tae had even joked with her that she should become a waitress, so she would get paid for all the time she spent at the restaurant. Misao only smiled, and looked to Aoshi. "I don't think I could concentrate here," she whispered to the older woman. A knowing smile formed on Tae's face. She, as everyone else around them, had noticed something between Misao and Aoshi. They were not dating, as they both adamantly insisted each time one was asked, but they might as well have been. Misao came to the Akebeko to talk to Aoshi, and Aoshi (who wasn't really much of a talker) made the time to listen to her. He would watch outside the door if she was only a minute late, and make sure that whatever she ordered was cooked with extreme care-- even if it meant going in the back and making it himself. 

But while Misao wasn't at the Akebeko, she was out searching for "gigs" as she called them. She always came back empty handed, much to her annoyance, but she kept searching.

Until one day, she burst into the Akebeko with a wide grin on her face. It was the peak of lunchtime, and Aoshi being the only waiter, was occupied taking an order. Ignoring the fact that he was working, Misao sped over to Aoshi and pulled on his left arm. "Aoshi! Aoshi! You'll never guess what happened!"

"Ah- Misao, can this wait?" he looked down at her with an eyebrow raised.

"Yes, indeed it can!" The customer insisted. With her maroon hair and green lipstick, she gave Misao a fierce glare. "I was in the middle of ordering."

Aoshi bowed his head, "My apologies for this." He pulled Misao away by the arm and whispered harshly into her ear, "Wait here, I will be back once I am finished doing my job."

"Well hurry up," Misao insisted, pouting. "I'm going to explode with good news!"

With an exasperated sigh, Aoshi gave her one last look before he headed back to the table with the maroon-headed woman. As Misao impatiently waited, she began to tap one foot against the tile of the restaurant, much to the annoyance of the elderly couple sitting to the right of her. Now looking at the restaurant, she saw that they were indeed very busy, which she didn't realize when she came and latched onto Aoshi without thinking. She almost felt guilty. Almost.

Finally, Aoshi came back over to her, looking less than pleased at her actions. "What was so important Misao?"

"I got a job!" Misao exclaimed, grabbing onto Aoshi's arm again. "I got a job!"

"That is good news," the fierce look in his expression damped a little. "What is the job?"

"A DOCOMO commercial! Can you believe it?" She hopped up and down once more, taking Aoshi's poor right arm with her. "Ohh I can't believe how lucky I am! There were so many professionals models trying out for the part!"

He nodded, trying to hold back the wide smile he wanted to show. "Perhaps tonight we-"

Not paying any mind to what he was saying, Misao continued to babble on. "And the best thing is that that hottie Seta Soujirou is going to be in it with me!"

Aoshi paused. "Seta Sou-"

"This is going to be so great! He looks so wonderful on TV. I wonder he looks that good in real-life..." Lost in her own world, Misao's eyes became hazy as she stared off into, what Aoshi was sure of, nothingness.

"I have to go back to work," Aoshi said coldly.

Misao blinked up at her friend. "What? Aren't you going to congratulate me?" She pulled his arm in closer to her bosom, squeezing it tightly.

"Congratulations," he spat out, sounding very bitter as he released his arm from Misao's grip. "I hope you have fun meeting the pretty boy."

"Aoshi..." Misao said, taken aback. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he shook his head. "I have to get back to work now, Misao. I am too busy to listen to your fantasies."

She stomped her foot on the ground. "Fine, be that way! See if I come to see you anymore, jerk!" she screamed, gaining the attention of everyone in the restaurant. Misao stormed out of the restaurant, eyes beginning to fill with tears. It hurt to see Aoshi be so forceful with her. He was the only friend she had since the move back from London. He was always there to listen to her complain, or to support her on whatever try out she was going to. And now that she finally managed to get a job, he decided to be a complete bastard about it.

Okina was not home when she slammed into the apartment, eyes filled with tears. Bursting into sobs, she slid down, her back pressed against the front door. She was supposed to be so happy about landing the DOCOMO commercial, now she regretted even going to the audition.

There was a knock at her door a few hours later. Misao was surprised to see who was behind the door.

With a small bouquet of flowers in his shaking right hand, Aoshi stood in her doorway, staring into her eyes.

"What are you doing here?" She snapped.

He didn't reply. He only continued to stare.

Misao put her nose up. "Well if you aren't here to apologize, then-" she moved to close the door.

However, Aoshi slammed his hand against the door, keeping it open. Before she could blink, or tell him to get his hand the hell off her door, he wrapped his left arm around her waist and brought her in close to his body. "I want you to have a relationship with me, Misao," he said, brushing his right hand through her hair.

Her eyes fluttered shut, reveling in the sensations that Aoshi was causing with a simple touch. "Ja- wha?" she managed to get out.

"You and I. Engaging in a courtship."

"Huh?" Misao again blinked.

"Dating," he finally managed to say.

"What? Just a few hours ago you didn't even give a crap about my new job! And now you want to date? Do you realize how much sense that doesn't make?" She stared at him for a few seconds before she realized what Aoshi's problem was. "You're jealous!"

He lowered his head so he could whisper in her ear. "Perhaps."

"You _so_ are." She turned her head to look at his face. Her lips formed into a bright smile. "You have nothing to worry about, Shinomori Aoshi. No matter how cute Seta Soujirou is, he will never compare to you..." Realizing what she was saying out loud, a blush crept to Misao's face as she looked away from Aoshi. "I mean..."

Brushing his fingers on her cheek, Aoshi made her look into his eyes again. He pushed his hand through her hair again. "But now I must be getting back to work." As he pulled away from her, Misao had the desire to hang onto him, and insist that he stay longer. But she had already interrupted his work once for the day, and that was enough. "Oh yes," he said, remembering the bouquet in his hand. "These are for you."

Smiling as she took them, Misao whispered, "Thank you."

"And," he whispered, leaning down to her face once more. "Congratulations," he said, kissing her on the forehead.

Misao felt her entire face flush as she watched him walk to the elevator. "Yeah..." she managed to say as the elevator doors closed. "Thanks..."

* * *

For the third time in the last five minutes, Kamiya Kaoru checked her make-up in her small compact. Lip-gloss: shiny. Hair: fabulous. Eyes: Very blue. And her outfit? A casual ladies' business suit, maroon, with matching three inch stiletto heels. In short, she was dressed to kill. Or at least to impress a certain editor. Kaoru and Kenshin had become acquaintances through publicity events about Shinomori Aoko's books. Although her first impression of Kenshin was not the greatest, she had to admit that he was great company. And she knew that Kenshin was more than a little interested in her, which made this all the more easy. When Kenshin had called her earlier, inquiring about Makimachi Misao, Kaoru had to admit that it was a little strange. But when asked why he wanted to know, Kenshin's reply was only that it was for "a friend." 

Her reporter senses were tingling just from talking to the editor. She had a feeling that he either knew Makimachi personally, or knew someone who knew her. Either way, if Makimachi was in Japan, like she was rumored to be, then Kaoru wanted to be the first to have the scoop. Then, maybe, she could get a position as a full-time entertainment reporter, instead of the crap reporting assignments she was getting.

And Kenshin was going to lead her right to it. As soon as she said "dinner" on the phone, she knew she had him hook, line and sinker. Sure, she didn't have a problem with going out on a date with the guy either-- she had to admit he was quite cute. But this was business.

Although she was getting a little bit impatient with her little source. After all, he had picked the restaurant, but he was the one who was late! Who even heard of this Akebeko place, anyway? It was in some backwater district that she had never been to, and so small town. Bleh. Shibuya and Harajuku were the _in_ places for dates, didn't Kenshin know that? Even though, quite clearly, this really wasn't a date. Really.

Finally, he walked through the door, looking incredibly frazzled by the fact that he was so late. Instantly, he spotted the table where Kaoru was sitting and rushed over. "Kaoru-dono! I'm so sorry I was late! At the last minute one of my client's books came back from the printers and the cover was incorrect, and it is to go on sale next week and-"

Kaoru smiled. In those few seconds she forgave him. He just looked so adorable as he explained how he had to call for a reprint and what happened after that. Not that Kaoru really heard it anyway. She was too busy smiling and staring at him from across the table.

"Kaoru-dono?" Kenshin blinked. "Are you okay?"

Shaking her head to snap herself out of her daze, Kaoru replied. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Kenshin smiled. "I am so glad that you wanted to do this. I have to be honest, I've wanted to ask you to dinner for quite some time now."

"Well," she tilted her head. "So have I."

The waitress brought tea to the two of them and took their orders. After more awkward silence, Kenshin finally asked, "Did you find anything else about Makimachi Misao's whereabouts?"

Kaoru nodded. "There's a rumor going on that she was spotted at Narita airport this morning. Alone."

"But didn't you say she was-"

"Old news I suppose." Kaoru shrugged. "Your _friend_ must be worried about the poor girl?"

Kenshin blinked. "Oh I don't know. To be honest, I was inquiring about her because one of my clients is planning to write an unauthorized biography on her, and since all the information about her sudden disappearance is hardly anything solid, I was hoping that you would be able to give us something."

The smug grin on Kaoru's face fell. After a few moments of staring at Kenshin, she said, "So basically, we are both using each other under the premise of going out for dinner?"

With a smile, he replied, "Yes, but isn't it nice?"

On the other side of the restaurant, Aoshi walked in. A smiling Tae greeted him. "Aoshi! What a pleasant surprise! Would you like your regular table?"

"Actually, I was curious if Okina has come yet?" Aoshi replied quietly.

"Okina-san?" Tae blinked. "I haven't seen him today. Are you supposed to meet him here?" Aoshi nodded. "Well, then would you like me to sit you at a table for two while you wait?"

"_Three_," Aoshi corrected. "Okina is bringing a guest," Aoshi explained before Tae got a chance to ask. She nodded in understanding and walked towards a free table. But as Tae led him to a table, Aoshi spoke up and said, "Could it, perhaps, be somewhere away from the door?"

Tae chuckled. "Oh, Aoshi-- do you have some shady business to conduct with Okina-san or something?"

"Actually, Tae, Okina is bringing-"

"Welcome!" Omasu and Okon called from the back as more guests walked into the restaurant. Both Aoshi and Tae turned to see Okina and Misao standing at the entrance. Of course, Okina had a big grin on his face as he acknowledged the two cooks in the back. Misao, however, looked incredibly nervous. Aoshi frowned. Was it because they were coming to dine with him?

"_Misao-chan!_" Tae exclaimed as her jaw almost fell to the floor. She rushed to greet the girl. "When did you come back to Japan!"

Misao laughed nervously. "Just this morning. I took an overnight flight."

"So _you're_ the third guest?" Now Tae understood why Aoshi didn't want a place near the door. A movie star in her own restaurant? Oh, she was going to have to write Sae about this. "Aoshi-" Tae turned to face Aoshi's chest. "Oh, there you are."

Aoshi nodded to the Okina and Misao. "Good evening."

Laughing nervously, Tae said, "Ah, your table is this way-- come, come!"

Despite her silent refusal to, Misao sat beside Aoshi, and Okina across from the two of them, a big grin on his face. Since the three of them were regulars (or at one time regulars) to the restaurant, they ordered when they sat down. Okina also ordered a round of sake for the table, laughing loudly. "So Aoshi, what do you think, hm? Do you think the short hair look suits Misao here?"

"Jiya, please..." Misao said, hiding her face behind her hand.

"No, really-- tell me that you actually think this boy's hair cut looks better than the waves of hair you used to have," the old man argued, still smiling.

Misao sank further down in her seat. "It's easier to manage this way, Jiya. Besides, _I_ think it looks cute."

Taking a sip of his tea, Aoshi observed, "One would think that it would be easier to fit underneath a wig. I would imagine in filming, you would be required to wear one from time to time."

Raising an eyebrow, Misao looked at Aoshi in surprise. "Thank you, Aoshi. At least someone understands some logic."

"But you had been growing your hair out since you were ten, Misao!" Okina retorted.

With a shrug, she replied, "It was time."

Tae brought their food over, with a big smile on her face. As she placed their orders on the table, she looked over to Misao and asked, "So, Misao-chan, is it true what they say about Howell Jenkins?"

"Who's Howell Jenkins?" Okina asked.

Misao rolled her eyes. "Howell was in my last project, Jiya." She looked to Tae and replied, "If you mean the rumor that he sleeps with a teddy bear at night, then yes, he does."

Chuckling, Tae shook her head. "No, no, Misao-chan. I mean about him being a bad kisser!"

"Well," Misao's cheeks turned a bright pink. "I mean," she looked to Aoshi, and her blush deepened. "He was _okay_... I've had better."

Tae only chuckled more at Misao's obvious embarrassment.

"Hey! Tae! My sake bottle is empty!" a call came from the other side of the restaurant.

"Oh! Right away, Hiko-san!" Tae bowed to Aoshi and his party and said, "Enjoy your food" before rushing off to help her other customers.

With a laugh, Okina stood up from the table and said, "I'm going to go say hi to Hiko. Would you like to join me, Aoshi? I know you two are such great friends..." he said, being facetious.

Glaring, Aoshi replied, "No thanks."

As the old man left the table, Misao buried her face in her hands. "I can't believe how cursed I am. Do I just wear something that says, 'Come and have an awkward conversation with me'!"

Aoshi took another sip from his teacup. "But it is so enjoyable to hear about your other boyfriends."

Misao looked to her companion out of the corner of her eye in disbelief. With a smirk, she replied, "Oh my god! Shinomori Aoshi, were you just being sarcastic? I don't think I've ever seen you do that."

Shrugging, Aoshi replied, "It happens occasionally."

"Writing all those romance novels must have done that to you," she said, picking up her chopsticks. In the corner of her eye she saw Aoshi almost choke on the tea that he was drinking. "Yeah, Jiya told me about your new job. Got to say, it kind of surprised me. Who knew under all that ice, you had an angsty girl shouting out for attention?"

Slowly, he asked, "You did not... read _it_ did you?"

"Only a few pages," she replied. Aoshi closed his eyes, cursing the old man for owning a copy of the book. "Although I have no idea where the idea came from. Tell me, Aoshi... where do you get your inspiration?"

Aoshi narrowed his eyes. "Are you trying to be tiresome or is it something you have acquired while in America?" Misao glared. "Would you like me to tell you that my first book was based on... what happened?" he continued. "Then yes, Misao, it is."

"Why would you do that?"

"Because."

"Were you trying to put one last stab into the wound? Because that's what you achieved."

Coldly, Aoshi replied, "Why should you care? You were the one who abandoned everything."

"Don't _even_ try to put this on me, Aoshi. I asked you to come with me. I begged you to. You were the one who was against it." 

"Because I did not want to leave. You, however, it seemed were quite in a hurry to leave."

Slamming her chopsticks down on the table, Misao pushed away from the table. Standing up from the table, she said, "Forget it. This was a bad idea. I'm going-"

He grabbed her arm, and she froze. "No. Wait, Misao. I did not mean to upset you."

Laughing hollowly, she replied, "Too late for that."

"Please sit back down," Aoshi said.

"Why should I?" Misao retorted, pulling her arm away from him.

"I asked to speak to you earlier at Okina's apartment, because I had something important to tell you," he explained. "If you will calm down and sit back down I will tell you."

She stared at him for a few moments, trying to decide whether she wanted to believe him or not. Of course she didn't think that Aoshi would be _lying_ about having something to tell her, but then again, the Aoshi she knew wouldn't have written a book about their relationship either. She couldn't help but be suspicious of him now. "You've got thirty seconds," Misao said, sitting back down.

Frowning, Aoshi replied, "Very well. It has been made known to me that you have been reported missing on the news this morning. They said that you disappeared from a film set without telling anyone where your destination was. Is this true?"

"So what if it is?" Misao huffed as she crossed her arms. "It's my life, I can do whatever the hell I want with it."

"But you must be concerned about your contract-"

"If it's broken, it's broken, Aoshi," Misao retorted, glaring at him. "You are hardly in a position to advise me. After all, _you_ were the one that was so against me doing films in America."

"That was a long time ago, Misao."

Misao looked hard down at the table for a few seconds. When Aoshi said nothing further, she asked briskly, "Is that it?"

With a long sigh, Aoshi replied, "I guess it is."

As Misao pushed herself away from the table for a second time, two giggling girls came up to the table, with notebooks and pens. "Oh my god, it really _is_ her!" one of them said.

"I told you Mika!" her friend nudged Mika playfully in the side. "Makimachi-san, will you sign this please?" The girl shoved her notebook in Misao's face.

"Yeah, mine too!" the other girl said with a huge smile. "I'm your biggest fan! I have all of your movies!"

Aoshi watched in amazement as, like a light switch, Misao's old personality instantly turned on. She smiled and chuckled slightly before taking the notebook and kindly saying. "Sure! Who should I make it out to?" He was speechless as Misao even engaged in conversation with her two fans, talking about returning back to Japan and how much she missed it. All the embarrassment that Misao had when talking to Tae about that Howell fellow was just a faded memory. And he couldn't help but smile at Misao's smile as she waved the two girls goodbye.

For a moment, she had forgotten all about Aoshi sitting behind her. But as soon as Misao turned to pick up her purse, she remembered. And the smile instantly left her lips. But he was smiling up at her. With a blink, she asked, "What?"

"It has just been so long since I had seen you handle fans," he mused. "And back then, it was far and in-between."

Misao laughed as she slung her purse over her shoulder. "And usually a really creepy fanboy who watched too much TV, that you usually ended up chasing off anyway."

A laugh rumbled through Aoshi's chest. "Very true," he said, chortling.

The two looked at each other for a few heavy moments, trying to figure out what else could be said to each other. In the end, it was nothing. Finally, Misao broke eye contact and said, "Well, tell Jiya that I went home..."

As if on cue, a loud laughing came from the other side of the restaurant. It was Okina and Hiko. Misao and Aoshi looked over to the bar in horror as Okina came back over to the table, incredibly drunk. "Oh there you two are! I was wondering where you went!" he said as he walked in a zigzag back to the table.

"Jiya!" Misao exclaimed, catching the old man before he fell over completely. "You were only gone for a few minutes! How much did you drink!"

Hiko followed the old man over, carrying his air of self-importance with him. But Aoshi could tell that even Hiko's cheeks with tinged slightly pink with alcohol as well. "Greetings! It has been far too long since I have seen either of you!" Hiko's eyes met with Aoshi's. "And you, _boy_, where have you been? Why haven't you been serving me?"

"I have not worked here for five years, Hiko Seijiro," Aoshi replied coldly.

After a few minutes of thinking to himself, Hiko simply shrugged. "That's no excuse!" Aoshi simply rolled his eyes.

"Hiko-san! What did you give Jiya!" Misao demanded, still trying to help her grandfather maintain a standing position.

"Okon was kind enough to provide us with a new brand of sake," Hiko explained. "It was quite good."

"_And sssss-trong!_" Okina interjected, slurring, with a whoop.

Misao put a hand to her grandfather's mouth. "Okay, looks like it's time for us to go home."

Aoshi stood up from the table. "Would you like some assistance?" he offered.

"No really, that's not necca-" but just as she was making the argument, Okina flung himself away from Misao's grip with another loud shout. Aoshi easily caught him. With a loud sigh, Misao corrected herself, saying, "Sure, why not."

As the three left the restaurant, the loud shouts of Okina drew the attention of the other couple sitting on the other side of the restaurant. Kaoru turned to look at the loud man. "What on earth-?" Suddenly, she saw none other than Makimachi Misao holding a drunken old man, while another tall (and very handsome) man helped take the old man out of the restaurant. Kaoru instantly turned to Kenshin and exclaimed, "That was-!"

Kenshin simply smiled as he leaned his head against his right hand. "So I was right after all. It was _her_."

Getting the old man up to the apartment was challenging enough, despite the fact that their apartment complex had an elevator. Why her grandfather was so set on singing old drinking songs, and _dancing_ to them, Misao would never understand-- but she knew that it was damn annoying. And poor Aoshi was obliged to follow them, because it was very clear that Misao couldn't handle the old man by herself. In the back of her mind, Misao wondered how many times Aoshi had done this for Okina, because he was quite good at it.

When Okina was comfortably tucked into his futon, Misao and Aoshi retired to the kitchen. "Would you like something to eat?" Misao said, opening the refrigerator. "Since, you know, we really didn't get to touch our food that much."

"I am fine," Aoshi replied, leaning up against the counter beside her.

"You never really did eat much," Misao replied. "How about something to drink? Jiya's got Sapporo in here."

Shaking his head, he repeated, "I am fine, Misao. Really."

"Oh come on, Aoshi," Misao whined. "You helped me drag my drunken singing grandfather up here, you got to at least take something!" She offered a bottle of green tea. Hesitating for a moment, Aoshi took the bottle from her hand. Misao closed the door to the fridge, holding a bottle of green tea for herself. She opened the bottle and offered a toast, "Cheers."

Aoshi tapped his bottle against hers, with a strange look on his face. It was somewhere between a smile and a look of suspicion. Why was she being a lot less colder towards him?

Looking down at her bottle, Misao said quietly, "Thank you for helping me tonight, Aoshi. It would have been really embarrassing if Jiya had made any more of a scene."

"It was my pleasure," he replied with a nod.

Misao stole a quick glance at him and then took a few steps away, her back towards him. "I know you probably won't believe me... especially how I acted at the Akebeko... but I _really_ missed you."

Putting his bottle on the counter, Aoshi took a step towards her.

"I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm glad that I went to America," she continued, not aware that he was moving close to her. "But some times, some _nights_, I really-"

Whatever she was going to say was cut off by him placing his hand on her shoulder. Misao turned around and instantly raised herself to kiss his lips. And for a second, time stopped for the both of them as they absorbed the feelings that sprung up from this kind of contact after so long.

But Aoshi pulled away, without saying anything. Nodding her head, Misao said, "I understand... that was really unfair of me to-" Aoshi bringing her close for another, much deeper kiss, interrupted her. Misao's back collided with the kitchen counter. Her hands furiously grabbed at things on the counter, spilling Okina's calcium pills all on to the floor.

The sound of the pills falling snapped Aoshi out of his daze, and he broke the kiss. The two silently stared at each other for what seemed like hours. Finally, Misao broke the tension by pulling away from Aoshi and leaning over to pick up the fallen pills. Aoshi kneeled down and helped. When all the pills were picked up and safely placed back in its bottle, Misao smiled up to Aoshi. "He'll never know," she said, chuckling.

Aoshi took his green tea bottle back in hand and took another sip from it. The bottle hid the smile that was on his lips.

_To Be Continued..._

Notes:  
I am so glad I finally forced myself through the writer's block that I had for this series. I've had the first half of the story (up until the Akebeko scenes) finished for over a year, but I just couldn't write the second half. I still am not completely happy with the new part, but then again, when am I?

And for the record, I still do not like AUs... but this one is getting more fun to write all the time...

This fiction was written for entertainment purposes only. The characters of Rurouni Kenshin belong to Watsuki-san. Standard disclaimers apply.


	3. Chapter III

She Left On A Monday (3/5)  
By Hikaru

Ship(s): Aoshi/Misao, Kaoru/Kenshin, Hiko/his ego

Summary: AU. Misao returns home after many years to find things really haven't changed.

30kisses challenge #s: #26, if only I could make you mine

Chapter III

Kaoru was never happier to have a camera on her cellphone. Not only did she manage to snatch a picture of Makimachi Misao, but she was able to capture the mysterious man with her in the shot as well. And all while Kenshin's head was turned. Thankfully, he didn't hear the photo sound, or if he had, he never mentioned it before they left the restaurant. He just smiled as he watched the couple leave the restaurant with the drunken old man.

The sun was about to set as they walked in silence to the subway station. It wasn't the most thrilling date that Kaoru had been on, but it could have been worse. She was just happy to have gotten the picture of Misao and could not wait to call her boss to tell him the good news.

As Kaoru's train pulled up to the station, Kenshin surprised her by taking her hand in his. "Kaoru-dono," he said.

"Y-Yes, Kenshin?" A blush rose to Kaoru's face as she swallowed hard.

He took a step closer. The doors to the subway train opened. Kenshin moved his lips to her right ear and whispered, "You're going to broadcast that picture, aren't you?"

Kaoru blinked as she pulled away. "You knew?"

"Are you?" he asked, more serious now than she had ever seen him.

"Of course!" she said, clutching her phone close to her body. "I can't just sit and watch this story pass me by!"

With a sigh, Kenshin nodded. "I cannot stop you from that, but if I could ask a favor of you?"

Another blink. "What?"

"Do not show the identity of the man who was with Misao-dono this evening."

"May I ask why?" she replied.

Kenshin shook his head. "I cannot say."

Kaoru looked nervously at the people exiting the train. If she didn't try to get on soon, she would miss the train. But if she stayed, she might be able to convince Kenshin to tell her who the man was, because it was obvious he knew. "I don't know, Kenshin..."

"You told me yourself that Misao-dono's fiancée is pretty possessive of her," he reasoned. "Wouldn't it be in everyone's best interest that you did not reveal who her company was tonight?"

"I suppose..."

A smile instantly appeared on Kenshin's face. "That's the way. Now," he pulled her over to the train and helped her step on. "You don't want to miss your train, Kaoru-dono."

Still a little confused, Kaoru simply said, "Yeah..."

With her hand still in his, Kenshin bent over and kissed her on the knuckle. "Thank you for the wonderful evening, Kaoru-dono." And then he let go of her hand.

Before Kaoru could reply, the train doors had shut and the train took off for its next stop. She pressed her hand against the glass as she watched Kenshin's figure vanish in the distance. "If I'm not careful... I might fall for you, Himura Kenshin" she muttered to herself.

Awkward was not a strong enough word for the environment in Okina's kitchen after, not one, but _two_ stolen kisses. This was just too much at one time. It wasn't as if Misao hated Aoshi. She _thought_ he hated _her_, but that clearly wasn't the case. Her head began to spin with the scenario. What should she do? How should she act? Misao felt relieved when Aoshi finished his tea and announced that he was going back to his apartment.

She forced a smile and walked him to the door. "Th-thank you again for helping with Jiya," she said.

Aoshi stared at her for a few heartbeats. He then nodded and replied, "I would not want you to have to do that job by yourself." He paused for a moment, looking as if he wanted to say more.

Misao tilted her head to the side. "Aoshi?" He muttered something that she really couldn't understand. "What?" she said, taking a step closer to him.

"...did we break up?" she finally managed to hear.

Blinking, Misao asked, "Why did we? Aoshi, we went though this at the Akebeko. You didn't want me to take the job in-"

"I did not want you to _leave_," he corrected. "But I would never have told you to not take a job."

"Except the DOCOMO commercial," Misao said, teasingly.

Aoshi nodded, rolling his eyes. "Except that. My main concern about you leaving, though, was clearly-"

"You're contradicting yourself, Aoshi! If I didn't leave, then I couldn't take the job. It was that simple." She lowered her head and added, "But it was more that that-- you know it was."

"What more?" he asked, his voice quiet, yet rough.

"Stuff," she said with a shrug. But even she knew she sounded like a spoiled brat, fishing for reasons. There were actual reasons, she told herself. She just couldn't think of any at that precise moment. Then quietly, she retorted, "You never came after me."

The look in his eyes softened. He took a step forward and lowered his head closer to hers. For a brief second Misao thought he was going to kiss her again. Instead, he brushed his hand through her hair and whispered, "I did not think you wanted me to."

"Look," Misao said, her voice shaking. She pushed him away and took a step back. "I don't wanna talk about this." She opened the apartment door. "Goodnight, Aoshi."

Clearly offended, Aoshi walked a few steps out the door and then paused. "I am sorry if the book angered you."

Letting out a loud groan of annoyance, Misao rolled her eyes. "You don't know how to take a hint, do you?"

Shaking his head, Aoshi continued to walk forward. "But I put my heart into it, so I am not ashamed of what I wrote. I hoped that you could appreciate at least that." He glanced back at her, to see that her expression remained unchanged. With a sigh, he said, "Goodnight, Misao."

"Goodnight, Aoshi." Misao closed the door behind him and collapsed down to the floor with a loud sigh. She lightly tapped the back of her head against the door a few times as she said out loud (_but to herself_) "What the hell is his problem? It was his fault! He could have tried to make me stay--" she let out a long sigh. But even if he had, her mind reasoned, she still would have left. It was an opportunity of a lifetime, how could she say no?

Well, she knew one way- but Aoshi being Aoshi, she knew that no mater what the circumstances were, that scenario would never come into play.

Pushing herself up, Misao walked to the living room. It was her intention to watch some television to clear her mind. However, Okina was sitting on the couch. And wide awake, smiling widely at her. "Have a good evening?"

"Not really, thanks to you," she replied briskly. "What possessed you to get so drunk?"

Okina simply smiled.

Raising an eyebrow she looked suspiciously at him. How was he sober so quickly? "And how would a man get drunk--" then it dawned on Misao. She pointed to the old man, indignantly. "You were faking it!"

With an innocent blink, Okina replied, "Me?"

"_Why you sneaky little-_"

"Now, now," Okina said, putting his hands up defensively. "Let's not get angry with your grandfather, my angel. After all, it didn't look as if you were having a horrible time. After that kiss it looked as if you were downright enjoying yourself."

And at that moment, Misao contemplated the consequences of murdering her grandfather, and whether or not they would be worth it.

On the other side of the apartment building, Aoshi quietly walked into his apartment. He left the lights off, taking comfort in the darkness. It was one thing to have Misao back in his life, but it was another entirely to find that he still felt the same way he always had about her. The kiss that he had stolen from her... it washed everything away. All the bitterness and pain that she had left behind when she left vanished. No matter how hard he tried to keep hold of the grudge he bared her, he could hold anything against her. And he knew that she must have felt it. Or she would have not returned the kiss.

But things were so different now. And, as he realized, Misao understood it far better than he. Yes, she was the same smiling Misao that she had always been. But five years separated them, filled with a plethora of experiences for the both of them. He experienced the burden of having a successful career of an author with a pen name, and she... had lived at least three life times out there in America.

Aoshi opened the door to his spare room and switched on his computer. His tired eyes reflected in the screen as it flickered on. It was going to be a late night.

* * *

It was hard being the boyfriend of "the girl in that DOCOMO commercial." Whether they were walking on the street, or shopping in Harajuku, constantly it was shouted at Misao. Apparently, the ad was catching on with the public. DOCOMO had even contacted Misao about making another commercial with her. With Seta Soujirou again, of course. And therein was the problem. Soujirou and Misao meshed so well together, that anyone who saw the commercial thought they were an actual couple. Stories of a secret love affair spread through magazines and television programs like wildfire.

Misao's talent agency even added fuel to the fire, encouraging the stories. The exposure was leading to offers for drama roles and variety show appearances. There was no way they were going to deny the stories as long as Soujirou's agency was remaining quiet. Helpless to stop it all, Misao was forced to give vague answers to questions when the subject of Seta Soujirou came up during interviews. It was even more uncomfortable for her when Aoshi was in the audience. Although he reassured her that he understood the ploy and how it could help her career, Misao knew that he wasn't happy at all with the circumstances. If it were any man other than Aoshi, Misao would have said he was jealous. But since it _was_ Aoshi, she wasn't really sure how to broach the subject. Instead, it became important to her to spend time with Aoshi alone as often as possible, just to secretly reassure him of how she felt.

Dates between Aoshi and Misao usually entailed going to Aoshi's apartment and snuggling while a movie played in the background. Although Misao's popularity was not to the point where she could not go in public without creating a scene, she just preferred staying inside, curled next to her _real_ boyfriend. And they would sit there, in the dark, until long after the movie was over, content just to be holding one another.

One night, after a terrible dramatic movie, Aoshi looked down at Misao. Her head was resting in his lap. "Misao...?" he said quietly, as he wasn't sure if she was sleeping or not. It was getting late, and he knew that her grandfather would be getting worried-- or actually happy, because he would assume certain things were going on. It wasn't as if they had not consummated their relationship already-- but it wasn't on the frequent basis that Okina had assumed very _loudly_ to the both of them.

Misao curled up against his lap. "What?" she murmured.

"The movie is over," he said quietly. "You should be getting home. I am sure Okina is worried."

She shifted her head, but refused to get up. "Just a little bit longer."

"Misao..."

"Tomorrow Soujirou-san and I are going to make a formal announcement," she said quietly.

Misao felt Aoshi's entire body tense. He must have thought she didn't notice it, as he managed to keep his voice calm. "Oh? And what is the formal announcement about?"

Now she sat up, a miserable look on her face. "A few weeks ago I was asked if I would be willing to play along with this whole girlfriend of Soujirou-san thing."

"And what did you say?"

"What do you _think_ I said?"

With a sigh, Aoshi pushed Misao off of his lap. "Misao, I understand your want to advance your career so you can start actually acting, and I will support you in what you choose to do. But to think that you would go so far as to..." his voice caught in his throat when he looked Misao in the eyes.

She, in a word, was livid. Her fists were balled tightly against her legs as her trembling body stood up from the couch. "You... you... _you!_" Without another word, Misao stormed out of the apartment.

Grasping to understand what just happened, Aoshi stood up from the couch and chased after her. "Misao!" By the time he caught up with her, Misao had almost reached her grandfather's apartment already. "Misao, wait!"

"Get away from me!" she shouted. "I never want to see you again!"

Aoshi stopped dead in his tracks, taken aback by what had just occurred. Misao slammed the door to Okina's apartment without so much as a glance back at the stunned man standing, lifeless, in the middle of the hallway.

The next morning, the press conference was swarming with reporters, waiting to get shots of Soujirou and Misao together. When the two walked to their microphones, small room was filled with the sounds of hundreds of cameras clicking. Soujirou was dressed in a white dress shirt, un-tucked, with black slacks and a checkered belt. Despite how much she hated wearing girly things, Misao's agency had made her dress in a pink sundress, with matching pink high heels. Her hair was down, hanging to the back of her knees.

Soujirou was the first to speak. "Thank you all for coming," he said as more clicks of cameras echoed. "This press conference has two objectives. One, to address the issue of Makimachi-san here. It has been rumored for quite some time now that she and myself have been going out-- some rumors go so far as to say we are engaged. I would like to say once and for all that these rumors are false."

Questions from the reporters flooded the room. Misao held up both of her hands in an attempt to silence them. "There is no truth in them," she said. "Both of our agencies have neither denied nor affirmed the rumors, although we have been fairly vague when it comes to the subject. On all of our behalves, I would like to apologize if the public was misled in anyway."

Soujirou smiled at the small girl. "Makimachi-san and I are only very good friends. In fact," he added with a smirk. "Makimachi-san already has someone who is very important to her." Misao looked down, trying to hide a blush. "For both their sakes, please stop these silly rumors.

"Secondly, I want to take this chance to announce that after shooting my next commercial with Makimachi-san here, I will be taking a long break." Instantly the crowd went crazy with questions. Soujirou put his hand up to silence the crowd. "This has been something I have been thinking about for a long time. To answer the obvious questions, I plan to do some traveling. I have yet to leave Japan once, and I would like to go out and see the rest of the world." Then came more questions, the reporters shouting them more loudly now. Both Misao and Soujirou refused to answer anything else. They thanked the crowd for coming and excused themselves.

When Misao got home later in the afternoon, Aoshi was waiting outside Okina's apartment. He looked as if he hadn't slept that night. He, in fact, was still wearing what he had been the night before.

Misao stopped a few feet before the door, her hands on her hips. "I take it you saw the press conference."

"I did."

"Now do you understand why I was so upset last night?"

"I do."

She nodded. "Well good. I'm still mad, but at least you know why now." She took a few steps towards the door. "Now if you will excuse me..."

Aoshi grabbed her right hand, turning her entire body toward him. "Marry me," he whispered.

"What? Aoshi?" Misao pulled away. "Have you lost your mind?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You do not wish to?"

Taken aback, Misao looked to the side. "Well, no... it's not that I don't _want_ to-- but, I mean... You thought that I would agree to pretend to go out with Soujirou-san! I still can't believe it."

"I do apologize for my behavior last night. It was uncalled for. I should have had more faith in your choices. But I have never given you the impression of being agreeable with the whole situation with Seta Soujirou. I am sure you are aware of my feelings concerning him."

"You're jealous," Misao observed.

"Quite."

"But over nothing!" she replied, her voice trembling. It sounded as if she was about to cry. "Soujirou-san is just a friend!" She cupped her small hands around her face.

Aoshi's eyes narrowed. "It is hard to believe that when you would never deny being in a relationship with him in public."

"But Aoshi! I love you, not him!" Her face instantly blushed as she realized what she had just shouted.

The two stood there silently for a few beats, Aoshi staring at Misao and Misao staring at the floor.

"Please marry me," Aoshi quietly asked as he placed his hand under Misao's chin. He forced her to look at him.

Her eyes watery, Misao nodded. "Okay."

* * *

Unable to work any further, Aoshi saved the file he was working on and turned off his computer. The room turned dark, but he had excellent night vision. He walked to the open kitchen, which was attached to the living room. It was still early in the evening, so Aoshi walked to his living room and clicked on his television.

"-has been confirmed that Makimachi Misao has come home to Tokyo." Aoshi dropped the remote in his hand as a picture of Misao and him at the Akebeko restaurant only from a few hours previous. His face, however, was blurred out so he could not be identified. "This picture was taken a few hours ago of Makimachi-san at a restaurant in Tokyo with an unknown man." Aoshi clicked off the television and grabbed his keys. He rushed over to Okina's apartment and impatiently rang the doorbell.

Okina answered the door with a curious look on his face. "Aoshi? What are you doing here?"

"Misao... where is she?" he asked, ignoring the old man's question.

Okina shrugged. "She said that she was going out. I don't know where she went. What's this all about?"

"On the television there was a report about how Makimachi Misao has come home to Japan."

The old man raised an eyebrow. "And?"

"Okina..."

"You don't understand, Aoshi," Okina said as he shook his head. "Misao is a big star now. She's used to having fans come up to her. She told me all about how in America-"

"But in America she would have someone with her, to protect her," Aoshi reasoned. "Not to mention that the media here..." Aoshi straightened his posture, "I have to go find her." And with that Aoshi hurried to the elevator.

Okina simply chuckled. "Boy does he have it bad for her."

It didn't take long for Aoshi to deduce where Misao had run off to. Back when they were dating, whenever she was upset or had a stressful day, she liked to go sing karaoke at a place a few stops away on the subway. Misao had often forced him to come to the karaoke box with her. Misao would belt out enka songs while Aoshi sat and watched, drinking cold green tea. No matter how much Misao insisted, Aoshi would not sing- but she more than made up for his lack of singing. It was regular practice that when Misao became upset with Aoshi, she would run to the karaoke box and try to ease her pain with the sad stories in the song lyrics. There had been more than one time he had gone to pick her up to apologize or calm her down, so the owner of the establishment recognized him immediately when he walked in the door. "Room 304," the owner said as he nodded in the direction of the stairs. "She's been in there for two hours now. I was wondering when you would show up."

Aoshi nodded in thanks and headed up to the room. Even from outside the glass door he could hear Misao's voice singing. "_Hey look a falling star. Even though we are this close, I wonder why you stay there hardly noticing--_"

Quietly, Aoshi opened the door. The lights in the room were off. The warm glow of the television highlighted Misao's face. Tenderly holding the microphone in her hand, she continued to sing, her eyes closed. She hadn't noticed Aoshi's entrance. "_The unforgettable color of the--_" She opened her eyes and abruptly stopped in mid chorus. "A-Aoshi!" she exclaimed as the voiceless music played on in the background. "What are you doing here?"

"I went looking for you at Okina's apartment. He told me that he did not know your whereabouts." He took the remote off of the table and turned the karaoke down. "I deduced that I could find you here."

Laughing weakly, Misao put the microphone on the table. "Yeah, I guess I don't really have any secret places from you, do I?"

"You are still upset," he observed.

With a shrug, Misao looked away from his face and instead watched the pictures on the television. "More confused than anything." Aoshi stayed silent, but sat down across the room from her and sat back, waiting for her to explain. "I came back to Japan, half expecting you to hate me. I think I wanted you to, actually. It would have made things a lot easier." She let out a short laugh. "And after reading that _book_... I really thought you did hate me." Turning her attention towards Aoshi, she crossed her arms against her chest. "But then, here you are. Again."

The cold tone in her voice hurt him a little bit. It was as if she was bothered by his mere presence. Did she not want him to worry over her? "Do not misinterpret," he said, quickly. "I came to warn you. I saw a report on the television tonight. I do not know how, but they had pictures of you and I at the Akebeko."

"They what!" Misao exclaimed. "But how- there were no reporters there- I don't understand!" Misao pushed her hand through her hair and leaned back against the padded seat. "Shit."

"I thought you may want to know," Aoshi said passively.

Misao nodded. "That means tomorrow will probably be _real_ interesting. It won't take the press long before they figure out I'm staying with Jiya." With a sigh she added, "I'll have to stay in a hotel room until I get my own place."

"You are staying in Japan?"

Misao grabbed the song book from off of the table and began to leaf through it. "That was the plan, yeah."

"What about-"

"Why do you care?" She slammed the book shut and tossed it back on the table. "You were right, Aoshi. I couldn't take it in America." Her eyes began to blur with tears. "Doesn't that make you happy? You were right all along."

Aoshi silently sat there, staring.

"It was a huge mistake to go to America, I know that now. Sure, everything that I was promised was given to me. Money, fame, everything. But I hated my life there." A sob escaped from her lips. "I missed _you_ and my life _here_ with you." Unable to hold it in any longer, Misao began to cry.

"I missed you too," Aoshi replied quietly. But he did not make a move to comfort her. Instead, he picked up the song book from the table and began to look through it. After flipping a few pages, he took the remote off of the table and input a number. The cue screen came up on the television. The change of color in the room made Misao look up at the television. She quickly looked to Aoshi. He handed the microphone back to her. "This used to be your favorite song to sing at karaoke. I hope that has not changed."

She stared at Aoshi, eyes wide. "I am not happy to see you suffer so, Misao," Aoshi continued. "Please, take it. I want you to feel better."

Her hand was shaking as she took the microphone out of his hand. "Thank you," she said, smiling behind the tears streaking her face.

There was another knock on Okina's door that evening. The old man cursed silently as he was interrupted from his drama once more. As he opened the door, Okina said, "Look, Aoshi- I already told you that I don't know-"

But the person behind the door wasn't Aoshi.

"Makimachi Okina?" The stranger asked. He was about six feet tall, with brown spiky hair and a cocky smirk on his face. He was dressed in tight jeans with a tight red shirt with the symbol for Oni on the front written in white.

Suddenly what Aoshi had told him earlier replayed in his mind. Had people found out where she was so fast? Perhaps Aoshi was right, and there was something to worry about. "Can I help you?" Okina replied, gruffly. He made sure that he could slam the door shut in a moment's notice if need be.

"I was wondering if Misao was here," he said peering over the old man's shoulder, trying to see if she was there. "I've been calling her cellphone like crazy, but she hasn't been answering."

"If it's her cellphone from America, then it wouldn't work here," the old man explained.

"Ah! That explains it."

Raising an eyebrow, Okina noted that this person's Japanese was a little strange. Stilted. Like he had been taught the language but didn't use it much. The boy clearly was part Japanese, but from his facial structure, Okina wasn't sure if both of this boy's parents were. "Who are you?"

"What? Misao didn't tell you? I'm Sagara Sanosuke." Okina remained unmoved. "We make movies together," Sanosuke added, as if he were speaking the obvious.

Okina still looked at the stranger blankly.

With a shrug, and a wide grin, Sanosuke added, "I'm Misao's fiancée."

_To Be Continued..._

Notes:  
The song Misao sings at karaoke is _Kimi to Boku_ by hiro. Translations goinked from Anime Lyrics. It's hardly enka, but it's near impossible to find translations of the enka songs I like, and I'm too lazy to translate them myself. That whole scene at the karaoke box wasn't totally inspired by the several trips I made to karaoke boxes in Tokyo. No, not at all.

This fiction was written for entertainment purposes only. The characters of Rurouni Kenshin belong to Watsuki-san. Standard disclaimers apply.


	4. Chapter IV

She Left On A Monday (4/5)  
By Hikaru

Ship(s): Aoshi/Misao, Kaoru/Kenshin, Hiko/his ego

Summary: AU. Misao returns home after many years to find things really haven't changed.

30kisses challenge #s: #10, the number 10

Chapter IV

As they approached Okina's apartment door, Misao looked down to her keys and played with them. "Thank you for finding me and telling me about the report, Aoshi. I really appreciate it."

Aoshi leaned his head towards her. "Will you be all right this evening?"

Misao shrugged. "I didn't really unpack that much, so I'll grab my bags and head to a hotel. It's no big deal really." She stared up at him with an awkward smile for a few beats of silence. Neither was sure of what to say to each other after all that had happened. For Misao, her emotions were far too confused at the moment to do anything. Aoshi, on the other hand, was unsure of where to start again.

"Would you like for me to wait for you?" he asked, finally. Misao's cheeks blushed furiously. "To escort you to a hotel," he added quickly, to make sure his offer wasn't misinterpreted. "It is very late, and..." he trailed off as he realized he was just digging himself a deeper hole.

Unable to stop herself, Misao giggled. "That would be great, Aoshi," she replied when she finally regained her composure. She opened the apartment door and entered. "Why don't you come in? It'll only take a second for me to-" The sight that she saw in the living room made the words die in her throat.

Aoshi came up behind her, curious to why she stopped so suddenly. "Misao? What is it?"

But Misao didn't give him an answer. Aoshi followed her sight of view to see Okina and a mysterious man sitting across from each other. "S-Sano?" Misao's voice faltered as she spoke. "What are you doing here?"

Okina crossed his arms against his chest. With a grunt he grumbled, "That's what _I'd_ like to know." Sanosuke looked up from the table and smiled. "Misao!" He rushed up to her, wrapping his arms tightly around her. Before she could react, he pushed his lips against her in a very deep kiss. Misao struggled in his grasp, desperately trying to push herself away. Finally, Sanosuke released her, with a confused look on his face. "Misao? Aren't you happy to see me?" Behind Misao, Aoshi visibly tensed.

"Sano, what on Earth are you doing in Ja-"

"Who is _that_?" Sanosuke interrupted her. He was glaring at Aoshi.

Misao paled. She had forgotten Aoshi was right behind her. "Sano, this is Shinomori Aoshi." She said quietly. "Aoshi, this is Sagara Sanosuke." And that caught Aoshi's attention. He knew that name very well. Sagara Sanosuke was involved with the production of every one of Misao's American films.

Sanosuke nodded his head. "I'm her fiancé," he added, putting his hand possessively around Misao.

"_Ex_-fiancé," Misao corrected as she pushed Sanosuke's arm away. "I told you-"

"Shinomori Aoshi?" Sanosuke muttered to himself, clearly ignoring what Misao was trying to tell him. "Isn't this the jerk who broke your heart?"

Aoshi visibly tensed. Broke _her_ heart? Wasn't it the other way around?

"Why the hell are you with him?" Sanosuke demanded. Misao opened her mouth to speak, but Sanosuke spoke over her, "Is this why you left? Because you're going to get back with him? We were in the middle of filming, Misao. You know you can't do that!"

"_No_," Misao said as she nervously eyed Aoshi in the corner of her eye. He looked as if someone had just punched him in the stomach. Or he was about to punch someone in the stomach-- she couldn't decide. "I left because _you_ were cheating on me. If anyone's the jerk, it's you, Sano."

Sanosuke laughed. "Oh come on, Misao. I wouldn't have called that cheating..."

"I found the _three_ of you asleep _in our bed_," Misao retorted. "I think sleeping with two other women who _aren't_ me constitutes as cheating, Sano."

Okina had tried to stay out of this, but he couldn't ignore _that_. "Three of you?" He fumed. How dare this stranger cheat on his little Misao. He looked towards Aoshi and noticed that he was just as mad. Perhaps a double team was called for...

"Yes _three_," Misao repeated, her attention still on Sanosuke. "Did you expect me just to sit around after that?"

"But _babe_ we were _toasted_. I didn't know what I was doing," Sanosuke said as he tried to bring Misao into another hug. She instead pushed him away again. "They meant nothing, you know that," he reasoned.

"Well, then maybe this means nothing too!" she shouted, motioning her arm towards Aoshi.

Aoshi narrowed his eyes. That explained a lot. Misao switching back and forth from hating him to being her old self. She was just playing with him? His stomach sank. This news shouldn't have hurt as much as it did. There was nothing between the two of them any longer, other than the very obviously strained friendship. Now it was clear to him that she no longer loved him. Then there was no reason to stay.

Instantly, Misao regretted her words. She turned to Aoshi, who was already turning to leave. "Wait, Aoshi-" she called. But he ignored her and left the apartment, closing the door quietly behind him. Misao turned back to Sanosuke in a fury of anger. "Get the hell out of here."

Sanosuke crossed his arms against his chest. "I refuse to let our engagement end this way, Misao. You know how much you need me."

"Need you? I don't _need you_. If anything, it's _you_ who needs me!"

With a smug grin, Sanosuke replied, "Whatever helps you sleep at night, Misao. You know you wouldn't have made it as far as you have if it wasn't for me. If I knew you were going to be so ungrateful-"

"Ungrateful?" Eyebrows furrowed, Misao stormed over to her room. The sounds of her rustling through her things could be heard from the living room where Okina and Sanosuke were left alone.

The old man simply glared at the younger one, swearing that if this Sanosuke character didn't get a clue soon, he was going to wipe the kitchen floor with his face. He also couldn't help but feel angry towards his granddaughter for failing to tell him about her newest fiancé. Getting married was a serious step, and she hadn't even mentioned Sanosuke's name to him. But then again, the old man still tightly held onto the hope that she and Aoshi would get back together once again, so that may have been why she failed to mention her new beau. Still, the fact that she didn't mention Sanosuke at all worried him. What were her true intentions with this man?

It wasn't long until Misao came out of her room, just as angry, and holding something tightly in her right hand. She threw whatever it was hard at Sanosuke's, and Okina could make out something of a golden flash. Sanosuke blocked, saying "Hey!" The old man heard mental clank against the floor and saw a small ring spin around and round, feeling hardly any pity for the stranger standing in his apartment.

"Take this and get out of my life." Misao said.

Sanosuke bent over to pick up the ring. He stood up facing Misao, with a fierce look on his face. "This isn't the end, Misao. If you think you can just drop everything like this, you have another thing coming."

"Get. Out." She said through clenched teeth.

Sanosuke slammed the door as he left the apartment. As it did so, Misao dropped to her knees, with tears forming on the brims of her eyes. Okina turned to his granddaughter, unsure of how to respond. True, he was proud of what she did to that Sanosuke person, but what she just said to Aoshi-- how could she use him like that? "Misao, what was..."

"Oh, Jiya--" She said, her voice trembling. She looked up to her grandfather. "I messed up big time. I can't believe I said that to Aoshi--"

A warm smile formed on Okina's face. "Misao, could it be that you still love that boy?"

Meanwhile, Sanosuke stood outside the apartment glaring. "Tch. If you think that's the end of this, you've got another thing coming. I've got far too much invested to just let you run away to be with your childhood sweetheart."

As he began to walk away, a short orange-haired man ran past him, down the hallway. Sanosuke raised an eyebrow at the man's hurry. Whatever it was, it must have been important. As Sanosuke pressed the button for the elevator, he heard someone say, "Aoshi! I need you to talk to you about this new chapter!"

Sanosuke froze. Aoshi? That Shinomori guy? He was an author? Misao failed to ever mention that. Just then, the elevator doors opened with a chime. Sanosuke stepped in, keeping an eye on Aoshi's apartment as the door opened for the orange-haired man. Interesting.

* * *

There were several things that Aoshi had learned to put up with ever since his fiancée had become a celebrity of sorts. While most were annoying, they could be dealt without too much hassle. Not to mention, they made perfect sense. But this... was asking too much, wasn't it?

Misao brought the last plate of food to the dinner table, trying not to look Aoshi in the eyes. "I know it's seems a bit strange."

"Am I to understand that we would not even be able to tell friends that we are married?" Aoshi asked, sounding more shocked than he had meant to.

Nodding shallowly, Misao said, "If I could get away with not telling Jiya, he wouldn't be allowed to know either. As is, I will have to keep my official residence with him, just in case."

Aoshi ran his hand through his hair. "This is ridiculous, Misao. Your agency can't tell you how to live your life."

"Well, if you take a moment to think about it, Aoshi, then you'd understand why it's so important."

"Oh no," Aoshi shook his head. "I understand why. You are young, beautiful--"

"Stop it," Misao said, reaching out for his hand. "I don't like this any more than you do. " She rubbed her thumb affectionately up and down the back of his hand. "If it were up to me, everyone in the world would know how much you mean to me. And it's not as if I'm going to let this get out of hand again..." her voice trailed off, not wanting to mention Soujirou's name out loud. They both knew what she meant. "If there was any other way..."

"There is another way," Aoshi replied, taking his hand away from her grasp. "You leave your agency."

"You know I can't do that, Aoshi. They're like my family!"

Aoshi looked away. Quietly, he asked, "And what if _we_ wanted to have a family?"

Misao choked on the water that she had just taken a sip from. Coughing loudly, she pounded on her chest, trying to get the water out. Her face flushed, and not from her lack of air, she looked at Aoshi with wide eyes. "Are you saying--" she bit her lip. "That you would want to... h-have a baby?"

"Is that not what happens when two people care for each other?" Aoshi asked, still not looking at her in the eye.

"Well I-" suddenly she found it very hard to be able to form words. "It's just, I didn't think you-" she swallowed hard. "We never talked about having kids, that's all. It's not that I don't want to, I just..." she was only burying herself deeper here. "We'd have to be careful with the timing, that's all. I couldn't... you know... in the middle of a production. There have been several girls' who careers were ruined by having a baby."

Aoshi shook his head. "It was uncalled for me to mention it. My apologies."

If there was one thing that Misao knew about Aoshi after all this time, it was the signs he showed when he ignored his own feelings. He was always putting her happiness before his, and sometimes she really hated it. If only he would be selfish once in a while, it would have been much easier than guessing what he wanted. "No, Aoshi, its fine," she said, putting her hand on his cheek. "I suppose if _we_ wanted to do that, then there'd have to be a formal announcement about us, hm?"

"There is no hurry, you know."

Misao giggled. "Oh, I don't know, Aoshi. You're the one that's always so anxious to have se-"

"I mean getting married," Aoshi interrupted, not allowing her to embarrass him further. They may have been in the privacy of his apartment, but he liked to save at least some face in front of her. Of course, Misao took delight in embarrassing him any chance she got, but they were trying to have an important conversation here. "Simply having you betrothed to me is ample enough."

Misao looked down at the table. "Are you saying... that you don't want to go through with it?"

"I am saying that it might be easier on the both of us if we wait until the time is right," he reasoned. "I do not wish to impede your career, but I will not be cast into the shadows either."

"Do you think I like keeping our engagement a secret?" Misao retorted, indignantly. "That I wouldn't love to go on all of those variety shows and show off my engagement ring and tell them how head over heals in love with I am with my fiancé? That I-" Misao's voice trailed off as she saw the grim look on Aoshi's face.

"As I said, there is no hurry, Misao."

The two began to fill their plates with the meal in front of them, silence filling the room. Their conversation weighed heavily on Misao's shoulders. Aoshi was right on so many counts. Perhaps it would be better to wait on getting married. The biggest reason why they would have to keep their relationship status a secret was because how young she was. If they waited only a few years, it wouldn't matter to the fans whether she was married or not. But the question was would she be able to wait? Could he wait for her? It was unfair to ask Aoshi to sit and wait to start his new life because of her career.

And then there was the bombshell of the baby question. A baby. With Aoshi. Her heart began to race at the mere thought of it. She couldn't help but imagine what their kids would look like. Would they have his blue eyes or her spunky attitude? But what she had said was very true. And she had been through far too much schooling and hardship to just drop everything she had gained in the last year for a family.

It was only after what seemed an eternity, did Misao look up at Aoshi and ask, "This is going to work... isn't it?"

Aoshi looked up into Misao's eyes and said, "I am not going anywhere without you."

A warm smile formed on her lips as she leaned over the table to give him a quick kiss. "I love you too."

* * *

It was times like these that Sanosuke wished he paid more attention to the Japanese classes that his parents forced him to go to when he was younger. Growing up in L.A., the most Japanese he needed on a daily routine was simply speaking to his parents. But reading was a different story. When it came to kanji and Sanosuke, he had about a middle school reading ability, and it had been a while since he actually had put his skills to work. It had never been a problem before, because he'd never really needed to _read_ things in Japanese before. But now that he knew that his rival (so to speak) was an author, he wanted to find everything he could on this Shinomori Aoshi-- as it could lead him to something Sanosuke could use against Aoshi and win back Misao.

However, he had conveniently forgotten that Aoshi's name could be written in many different ways, and he had no idea of where to start. Asking for help was the only option, but the lady working at the counter only smiled and said that she'd never heard of a Shinomori Aoshi, and that if he had the ISBN number, she'd only be happy to help-

Fat lot of help that did.

Cursing out loud, he wandered through the bookstore with a toothpick in his mouth, muttering to himself. By accident, he stumbled across the international section of the store where books in other languages could be found. At the front of the area, there was a huge display for a book by one "Aoko Shinomori" called _She Left on a Monday_. The display also had a large sign by it with the following: "The first best-selling novel by well renowned Japanese author, Aoko Shinomori-- _Now in English_." The names Shinomori peaked Sanosuke's interest. He picked up one of the novels from the stacks on display and flipped to a random page. After reading only a few sentences, a wide grin formed on his lips.

Okina patted his granddaughter on her back, trying to calm her down. She'd been crying for sometime. "Perhaps you should go talk to him, Misao," he suggested with a smile.

Looking up, Misao blinked at the suggestion. Her face was blotched with pink spots, and her eyes were red. "You... you really think he would listen to me?"

"Of course," Okina said, half laughing. "Whether you realize it or not, Misao, that boy is just as crazy for you as ever. I don't even think he realizes how much her cares about you. Why, you should have seen him tonight. Banging on the door, trying to find you to warn you about that report he saw earlier. He was truly worried about you. If that isn't love, then I don't know what is."

"But I," Misao sniffed, wiping away her tears with the flat of her hand. "But we-"

The old man gave his granddaughter a good shake. "It's time the two of you stop acting so stupid! Just be honest with your feelings! Isn't that why you were dating all of those men in America, Misao? To try and forget about Aoshi?"

"Well, not exactly..." Misao replied, hesitantly, knowing right well that what Okina was telling her was the truth.

He patted her on the back. "But what I want to know is why you didn't tell me about that Sagara fellow? Weren't you going to tell your grandfather you were engaged?"

Misao shook her head. "Don't misunderstand, Jiya. It's not that I wasn't going to tell you. Getting engaged was all Sanosuke's idea. It was either that or he was going to leave me. And... well," Misao looked down to the floor. "I didn't want to be alone again."

"You weren't actually intending to marry him, were you?"

Misao shook her head. "I don't think I could actually ever get married. Not after what happened..." her voice trailed off, looking away from the old man.

Okina nudged his granddaughter to stand. "Go talk to him, Misao. Go apologize."

"Apologize for what?" Misao said, nervously laughing. "For everything? All I've ever done is hurt him. If I went and apologized now, he would... we would..."

"You would actually make up and finally get married?" Okina suggested with a grin. "You've been in love with Aoshi since you were a little girl, Misao. Five years ago you had happiness--"

"And I left, Jiya. Despite what he says, I know he has to hate me for what I did. For crying out loud, he wrote a book about it."

"He still loves you, Misao," Okina said firmly.

Misao shook her head. "No, Jiya. Stop it."

"Fine," Okina put his hands up in surrender. "If you want to leave it at that, I won't stop you. It's your life after all." With a sigh, he turned away and said, "I'm going to bed now. Please let me know if any of your fiancés decide to come into the apartment and start yelling."

"Very funny, Jiya!" Misao called as the old man retired to his room.

As the door to Okina's room shut, Misao looked to the apartment door, weighing her options. What she said to Aoshi was quite uncalled for, especially since he had done her two favors in the last few hours. _Damnit_, she cursed herself mentally for getting to emotional over the sight of Sanosuke in Japan. She walked over to the bathroom and checked her reflection in the mirror. There were still blotches of pink on her face from crying so hard. She washed her face with some cold water and tried to calm down. When her face was less pink, she nodded at her reflection and walked towards the door.

Aoshi's apartment was 610, which was just a quick walk from Okina's apartment. Misao, however, walked as slow as she possibly could. Her mind was racing as she tried to piece together what she would say to him. Not only that, but trying to figure out her own feelings. She still cared for Aoshi, that much was certain. But was it still that pure love that she held for him all those years ago? She wasn't naive enough to not realize that they were two different people now. She had changed so much, and just from the little time that she had spent with Aoshi since her return, she could see that he had too. But her Aoshi was still there, underneath the newly developed sarcasm and frowns. The man that could melt her with a single smile.

Perhaps if they started completely over again? Would it work this time?

Even with her slowed pace, she reached the apartment entirely too quickly. She knocked quietly, and called, "Aoshi, it's me. Can we talk?" There was no answer. Misao sighed. "Look, I'm sorry for what I said back there. I really didn't mean it. In fact... I, well, I'm sorry."

Still no answer.

Glaring at the door, she checked the knob to find the apartment unlocked. She slowly opened the door to see that the entire apartment was dark. _Maybe he went to sleep..._ she said to herself as she took a step in. "Aoshi?" she said, trying to be quiet just in case he had fallen asleep.

Suddenly, the lights went on in the apartment and Misao was surrounded by hundreds of images of herself. Pictures of her covered every inch of all four walls-- movie posters, magazine cutouts, snapshots, and the like. Next to the television were shelves filled with DVDs and video tapes her movies sprawled all over. It was a like massive shrine in her honor. Misao's jaw dropped open in awe. This was Aoshi's apartment?!

And in the bedroom doorway stood Aoshi, like a deer in the headlights. "M-Misao!"

_To Be Concluded..._

This fiction was written for entertainment purposes only. The characters of Rurouni Kenshin belong to Watsuki-san. Standard disclaimers apply.


End file.
